Containers such as bags and other similar devices, e.g., suitcases, luggage items, cases, etc., exist to, among other things, help a person easily transport items. For example, travelers often use suitcases to easily transport clothes and other items when traveling to a remote destination. A container that is rigid in nature has an advantage of helping to protect the contents of the container. A disadvantage of many known rigid containers, however, is that they are not easily stored. For example, when not in use, people often store containers, (e.g., suitcases) with nothing in them. In so doing, the containers may take up valuable space with nothing but air inside them. As another disadvantage, it is not economical to ship such containers when empty.
To overcome this disadvantage, one known solution has been to use a collapsible bag rather than a container with a more rigid or semi-rigid structure. Thus, a user may, in one form or another, expand the volume within the container when using the container to carry items and then, when not in use, may collapse the container so as to store the bag in a space-saving mode, i.e., the bag has a space saving shape. For example, containers may be made from a soft, flexible sides that may be folded or otherwise compacted next to the bottom of a bag. As one example, such a container may be a duffel bag, which may have a rigid bottom if desired.
Such solutions, however, are not without their problems. For example, duffel bags may not be appropriate appearance-wise for some situations. Furthermore, flexible containers are often to construct with other advantageous features of containers, such as telescoping handles and wheels to facilitate the ease of transport.
Thus, a need exists for an improved container (e.g., suitcase, bag, luggage item).